Full Moon, Alone
by Nikki Anna
Summary: Set one month after S4, Hal is still tied to a chair, Alex has settled into the house, and Tom is in charge.  But when it's full moon, who takes charge whilst Tom is... otherwise occupied?
1. Chapter 1

**Set a few weeks after the series 4 finale, inspired by the final scene, and what happens on the first full moon after Annie passes over. This is my first attempt at fanfiction, so please be kind. **

**Disclaimer: Being Human and its characters belong to the BBC and Lord Toby Whithouse, I am simply borrowing them. I am in awe. **

**Chapter One**

Hal could hear Tom and Alex talking in the kitchen, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. He strained against the straps around his wrists.

"What's going on? You'd better not be planning anything." he yelled.

Tom walked into the living room. "Don' be soft, mate. We're not plannin' anythin'."

"Then what were you whispering about?" Hal snarled, as Alex came in carrying a cup of tea. Hal softened as he was reminded of Annie, then he saw the straw and moaned. "Oh no, not the straw. Just let me drink a cup of tea properly, please."

"Ya know we can't untie ya, so don' even ask." said Tom. "Just drink ya tea. I need t' talk t' ya."

Alex held the cup for Hal, and he drank through the straw. "There's a good boy!" she said, and smiled.

"Yes, very funny. Just like the other _dozens _of times before." but he just rolled his eyes, and smiled back. "What is it you want to discuss, Tom? Is something wrong?"

"Nah, everythin's great, but ... er... ya know it's the full moon tonight. Well, I've bin thinkin' it might be better if I go off inta th' woods, ya know, t' change like. Instead of goin' in th' cellar."

"Why, Tom? You know it's not safe out there. You're just putting yourself and others in danger if you go outside tonight. You must stay here, where we can look after you." Hal looked at his friend. "Please don't leave. We need you here. _I _need you here."

"Not tonight, Hal. There isn't anythin' we can do to 'elp each other t'night. And anyway, I'm not doin' this fa you, I'm doin' this for Alex. She doesn' wan' a monster in th' cellar as well as in th' liv ..." Tom broke off, embarrassed.

"As well as in the living room!" Hal finished off. "You're right, of course. I'm so sorry Alex, I didn't think." he looked at Tom. "Please be careful, Tom, and come straight home in the morning."

"A'right, calm down. It's just one night, an' it's not like I've never changed outside before. I'll be back before breakfast." Tom smiled his adorable little smile, and patted Hal awkwardly on the shoulder. He pretended not to notice that Hal flinched at the touch, but he was hurt that it seemed to be a step backwards from what they had... before. He sighed and picked up his bag.

"Remember, Alex."

"Aye. _I know!_ Dinae answer the door to anyone, dinae get too close to him, dinae listen to his nonsense, and remember te put a splash o' water in his tea!" Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. "I'll be careful. I promise."

Tom was surprised when suddenly Alex pulled him into a hug. "Just _you _be careful out there, okay. Dinae take any crap from anyone, and ... see ye in the morning."

Tom looked at Hal, and they both grinned.

"Okay." said Alex, embarrassed. "Just piss off." and she took Hal's empty cup back into the kitchen.

One final worried look passed between them, as Tom opened the door, and then he was gone. A tear fell down Hal's cheek. Despite the ghost in the kitchen he felt more alone than ever.

As Alex washed up, she heard the front door slam as Tom left. She was now left in the house with only a detoxing vampire for company. This was going to be a long night.


	2. Chapter 2

Alex stood at the window and looked up at the full moon. She shivered when she thought of Tom, remembering the wolf from the nightclub just a few weeks' earlier. She closed the curtains, and turned around to see Hal staring at her with a strange look on his face. She turned on the lamp, and then picked up the TV remote.

"Don't turn the TV on." said Hal. "Let's just chat for a while."

"Okay. What do ye want to chat about?" Alex was wary, but willing to give him the chance to prove he was getting better.

"You, of course." he replied, gazing into her eyes. "Tell me about yourself. Whereabouts in Scotland are you from?"

"Oh, right." she smiled as she sat back on the sofa. "Well, I'm from Motherwell, not far from Glasgow."

"I know where it is." interrupted Hal. "I've been there many times."

"Of course ye have. Ye must have been pretty much _everywhere_. In five hundred years, ye must 'a had a few dozen holidays."

"I wouldn't call them holidays exactly, but yes, I've travelled to many places. Some of the things I've seen have been wondrous. At least until the vampires were done with rampaging... but let's not talk about me. Tell me about your family."

Alex looked at Hal suspiciously, but she figured, what harm can it do to just talk to him.

Hal smiled seductively at Alex, whilst she droned on about her father and brothers. He listened, but only to see if there was anything she said that he could use to his advantage later.

However, within minutes, Alex was crying. Great wracking sobs, getting louder and louder, whilst still trying to talk about her family. Hal was shocked. This was a side to Alex that he'd not seen before. A vicious thought crossed his mind that this was the moment, that he could offer to take her to them, and maybe she was weak enough to allow it to happen.

But the thought was gone in a moment. He looked at his friend, and felt even more guilty about his part in her death.

"Alex, I'm so sorry." he said, but she could hardly hear him. She simply lay on the sofa, buried her face in her hands and cried. As the minutes passed the sobbing lessened until eventually she went quiet.

"Alex?" he said again, but couldn't find the words to comfort her. He simply watched her until he fell asleep.

As soon as she heard his even breathing, Alex sat up. She looked at Hal sleeping peacefully, and she remembered how gentle he was when she first met him. She sighed and got up, grabbed the throw from the sofa, and laid it over him. She stood watching him sleep for a few moments, before disappearing to her room. Alex knew that he wouldn't sleep for more than a few hours, and she herself would not sleep at all, but she needed some time alone after talking about her family. She wondered if they were still in Barry, if they were still staying in the same place as they were when she disappeared.

Although Hal had promised to help her with her body, and her family, everything that had happened since the night she died meant that nothing had been done. She thought about her dad and brothers again, the fact that they didn't know what had happened to her, and she felt the tears start to flow once more. She shook her head angrily, hating the weakness that she had never shown when she was alive, not allowing grief for her own demise.

She needed to be strong. To face whatever this new existence had in store for her. To face the monsters that she now knew infected her world. She thought about Tom, out there howling at the full moon, and Hal downstairs, sleeping now but raging against the monster inside himself. Then she looked at herself in the mirror, remembering that no human could see her now. It was only the monsters who could look upon her. She was one of them now and she needed to accept it.


	3. Chapter 3

**We have finally left the house...**

The werewolf had raged against the moon for an hour, howling and snarling, digging through the undergrowth. The forest was empty for a mile around, all the creatures had run for cover as soon as they heard the wolf emerging. This was not the first time they had encountered a werewolf, and they were aware enough to know when to leave their natural habitat to find a safer place for the night.

The wolf found the chicken and devoured it quickly and completely, then it continued circling the forest following the smell left earlier by Tom dragging the chicken through the woods. Then another smell drifted across its path... vampires.

The wolf howled again, not the plaintive howl at the full moon, but the savage howl of the predator that had found its prey. It turned in the direction of the smell, and raced towards its source. The wolfs' mind was blank, except for the rage it felt towards its oldest enemy. Growling and snarling it drew nearer to the vampires. It slowed, prowling and sniffing the air. It knew there were two of them, two distinct smells drawing off in different directions. It snarled loudly, and loped off in the direction of the more potent vampire.

A shot rang out, and the wolf was hit, cutting it off mid-snarl, and it fell heavily to the ground. For a few seconds the wolf writhed on the ground, and then it lay still.

The vampire it had been following came forward, and kicked the wolf with his foot.

"You got it, Lloyd," he called out to the other. "but you took your bloody time. It was almost on me by the time you made the shot."

Lloyd came out of the trees, carrying a large bag, and an even larger gun. "You're alright, aren't you? Stop complaining. We achieved what we set out to achieve. This is one of those who killed the Old Ones, and now we will have our revenge. Put it in the body bag, and don't touch its blood. We need to take it back to the others as proof that we were the ones to take it down."

He threw the bag on the ground next to the wolf, and laughed. "That was so much easier than I was expecting it to be." he said. "It certainly helps to have inside information. Now we know how to stop the dogs on even their most dangerous nights, we will have nothing more to fear from them. We have found our silver bullet."

The first vampire kicked the wolf again, just to make sure it was not moving. Then he laid out the body bag, and the two of them grabbed its limbs to lift it into the bag.

"Are you sure it's the right one?" he asked.

"Yes, Reese. I'm certain." Lloyd replied. "This dog was Tom McNair. Now let's get it back to the factory. The boss will want to see this."

The van was parked outside a disused factory on the outskirts of Barry. It wasn't long now until sun up, and the two vampires had dragged the motionless body of the werewolf through the building into a room that had bars at the door and windows.

"So, this is McNair?" said a deep voice behind them. "You're absolutely sure."

The two vampires turned around to see Milo emerging from the room next door, which was similarly barred. He was pulling on his jacket, having just transformed.

"Yes, sir. We followed him to the woods. There was nobody else there." said Lloyd.

"So why is he in a body bag?" Milo asked.

"Sir?" Reese looked confused. "You told us to shoot him. We couldn't leave the body in the woods, I thought you wanted us to bring it back here."

"He's not dead, you fucking idiot. He's just unconscious. That was ketamine in the tranquilliser gun, enough to bring down a small horse, or a large wolf, but not enough to kill him. Why would I want him dead? I want him on side. I think he'll be useful."

"Why didn't you tell us it was a tranquilliser? What if it hadn't worked? You put us in danger, and for what? To expand your pack of dogs?" Lloyd started towards Milo, but stopped fearfully when the larger man turned with what was almost a growl, the wolf still obviously close to the surface.

"Watch your mouth." Milo snarled. "Don't forget who you're talking to. I do not have to explain my actions to you. Now get him out of that body bag, lock him in that room, then go and get the others. Bring them all here. We have to get ready for when he wakes up."

Milo walked out of the corridor into the main office and sat down. He looked over towards the room where McNair was sleeping. It would be several hours before he woke up, and Milo needed to work out how he could get Tom to agree to join him. The young wolfs' new friend was now the oldest vampire in Europe, if not the world, and Milo wanted to use Tom to gain access to Lord Harry Yorke, the sole heir to the vampires legacy.


	4. Chapter 4

Alex opened the curtains with a breezy "Good morning." and the sun shone on Hal as he was startled awake. He blinked several times against the brightness, and mumbled "Is it?"

"Come on, sleepyhead, ye've slept for ages. I think it's a sign yer getting better." she said, walking through to the kitchen.

"Or perhaps it's because you left me alone for a few hours." Hal replied, a little grumpily.

"Och, yer not a morning person are ye?" called Alex. "Would ye like a cup o' tea?"

"Yes, thank you." replied Hal. "We'll wait and have breakfast with Tom when he gets back." he glanced at the clock. "He shouldn't be too much longer. Could you please check that there is plenty of bacon in the fridge? He'll be starving when he returns, he always is."

Alex returned from the kitchen with a cup of tea for Hal, complete with trusty straw. They caught each others eyes and she twinkled at him, daring him to say something, but he just said "Thank you." so she held the cup out for him.

"Tom went shopping yesterday on the way back from work, so there's plenty of food." Alex smiled at him. "Ye needn't worry, he's a big boy. He dinae need ye to look after him."

Hal sighed. "It's a good job. I can't do much from here. Look at the state of the place. It's filthy. I dread to think what the rest of the house looks like!"

"Aye, it needs a womans' touch, and yer just the man to do it." Alex laughed. "I'm doing my best ye know, but it's a big house for a small ghost to take care of."

Annie had managed just fine, Hal thought to himself, and she had Eve to take care of. But he didn't say it aloud. Alex didn't like being compared to Annie, and during his worst outbursts he had done so unfavourably many times. He regretted it now though. Alex was doing her best, and she didn't have to look after him, especially considering the part he had played in her death.

Hal shifted uncomfortably in his chair, then drained the last of the tea through the straw.

"Are ye okay?" Alex asked.

"I'm ... um ... fine. I just ... wish Tom would hurry up. That's all."

"Oh. I see. I'm sure he won't be long. Then he can take ye to the bathroom." Alex chuckled as she walked back into the kitchen. Hal glanced at the clock once more, then twisted in his chair to look out of the window. He really hoped his friend would be back soon.

"ALEX! Where the hell are you? Come back here right now." Hal yelled.

More than an hour had passed, during which time Hal had made Alex rentaghost first to Toms' room, to see if he'd come back while Hal was asleep, then to the cafe to see if he'd gone to work. She had not yet got back from the cafe. Hal was getting worried. Firstly for the state of the floor if he did not get to the bathroom soon, and secondly for Tom who should have been back by now.

He strained against the straps, knowing it was futile to struggle. Tom had made sure they were secure every time he was strapped back into them. The first dozen or so times they had released him he had fought against them, only for Alex to rentaghost him into the locked basement. He soon got tired of being left down there in the filth, so soon each time he was released he did what he was supposed to do; used the bathroom, changed his clothes, then returned to the chair almost willingly. Maybe he _was_ getting better.

Although at that moment it did not feel like it. He was uncomfortable, worried, on his own, and strapped to a chair.

"Will someone _please_ get me out of this bloody chair? ANYONE!" he yelled again.

"Alright, sugar. Dinae get yer knickers in a twist." Hal jumped as Alex appeared in front of him.

"Well?" he asked, glaring at her.

"Well, what?" she replied, sweetly.

"Did you find Tom? For Gods sake, Alex. Was he at the cafe?" Hal rolled his eyes to the ceiling in exasperation.

"Oh, no, he wasnae there. Sorry, I dinae know where he is." she looked at Hal. "Are ye really worried? Do ye think something might have happened to him?

"I don't know, he really should have been back ages ago." he swallowed nervously, leaned forward, and looked into Alex's eyes. "We have to go and look for him. You have to untie me, Alex, so I can go and find him."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Hal. Tom told me not to let ye go."

"Tom is not here. He might be in trouble, or worse. We have to go and find him, Alex. _Please." _tears filled his eyes. "Please." he said again, quietly.


	5. Chapter 5

Hal looked at Alex and realised that she was not going let him go. She was scared of him, and of what he could do out there. He wracked his brains thinking of how to persuade her that his intentions were good. He decided the best way was for her to know more about him, and what he was capable of ... the good, and the bad.

"Alex, do you ever wonder why I choose to... contain my condition?" he asked.

"Aye, I guess so. There can't be many of ye who do."

"Very few." he admitted. "Those who try find it impossible to stop and they hate it so much they stake themselves, or get someone else to do it for them."

"Didnae Annie's fella do that?" asked Alex, remembering something Tom had said about Mitchell.

"Yes, and he wasn't the first. It's going against every instinct for a vampire to resist blood. It's like a..." he struggled to think of a comparison.

"A lion turning vegetarian?" Alex chuckled.

Hal smiled. "Something like that. Some vampires don't wish to kill though." he paused, not wanting to mention Cutler, who didn't like killing, but did like the blood. "Some get by simply feeding and allowing their victims to walk away. There was a boy here recently, Adam. He was 47 years old and he survived for decades simply being fed by his parents."

"Eurgh. Ye mean he drank their blood."

Hal nodded. "Every day, until they eventually died."

"But most of yous dinae bother trying not to kill."

"No. I don't know why. Vampires just lose all their humanity. They become like animals and forget that they were once part of the human race. All humans are to them is food."

"Not _you_ though. Why is that?" Alex wanted to know.

"Believe me, I was like that, and I could be again. It takes every ounce of strength and self control, every minute of every day, to not give in to it." Hal sighed. "You saw me when we went back to the basement. The blood controls you, until you lose yourself in it."

"Aye," said Alex, not wanting to dwell on _that_ image further. "but ye do resist it, and ye have done fer years. Have any of the other Old Ones done it, or are ye the only one?"

"I know of only one other Old One who did not succumb to blood. He is the reason I attempt to stay clean. The one whose remarkable achievements I strive to emulate." Hal closed his eyes, his mind drifting back in time.

"Back in the early 1500's," he began "about 10 years after I was turned, I was introduced to some of the Old Ones. That was the first time I met Mr Snow, and he was almost as impressed with me as I was with him. Although I was still very new to the vampire world, I had already killed more people than several Old Ones put together. My own maker, Joseph, was proud of me but even more so of himself for choosing me as his protégé. Unfortunately for Joseph, Mr Snow took me from him, and welcomed me into his... family circle. He used me as a scout and I wreaked havoc before them all, throughout Europe, for almost three decades."

"Why are ye telling me this?" asked Alex. "I dunnea wanna hear it."

"It's important that you know everything about me Alex." Hal explained. "Tom may not return. It could be just the two of us now."

Alex shook her head "He'll be back." but she did not look so sure.

Hal continued "I had been hearing about a vampire that they all seemed to hate. They called him Rage." he heard Alex chuckle, and smiled. "We all had pretty ridiculous names back then. This was about the time they started calling me 'Lord Harry'.

"Anyway, I was intrigued by Rage. Mr Snow wouldn't answer any of my questions about him, and became very angry when I wouldn't let it go. I asked the others, but nobody would tell me why this particular vampire was so hated by his own kind. I became obsessed..."

"Ha! Really? I ken imagine ..."

Hal glared at her "_I became obsessed..._" he continued "with discovering everything I could about him. I managed to find out that he was a loner. He did not move within the vampire communities who usually stayed together, especially the older ones. In fact, nobody seemed to have even seen him for several hundred years.

"I questioned whether he could have been destroyed, but was told that the Old Ones would know if such a thing had happened. So they were certain he was out there, somewhere. I made it my mission to find out where.

"That was the first time I left Mr Snow. I felt his rage from a thousand miles away. One of the others who had been jealous of my relationship with Mr Snow couldn't wait to get rid of me and had given me an idea of where to start, and so I made my way to Constantinople. The city had not yet recovered from the siege 100 years before. It was still mostly in turmoil, so there was a large community of vampires still in the city. They tend to congregate in areas of chaos and war." Hal looked at Alex "You know Constantinople as Istanbul, of course."

"Er ... yeah ... o' course." she stammered in reply. Alex gazed at the man before her in renewed amazement. She often forgot just how old he really was. He had seemed so _youthful_, boyish even, when she first met him, but looking into his eyes right now, she could see the decades, the centuries, lying behind them. They seemed so full of... pain. The things he must have seen. _The things he must have done! _she reminded herself.

Hal continued as though she was no longer there. "As I said, the city was still in turmoil. Although there were no Old Ones the vampires had a hierarchy of sorts, and I sought out the leaders upon my arrival.

"They were already aware of my presence in Constantinople and my ego was further boosted when I discovered that they knew who I was. My reputation as Mr Snows' trailblazer through Europe was highly regarded amongst the older vampires. Many of them were afraid of me, and I used this to my advantage. I asked question after question on the whereabouts of Rage, and was rewarded with several interesting pieces of information. Firstly he was still living within a few miles of the city, secondly he was rarely seen by anyone, finally and the most intriguing thing for me, he lived in a monastery.

"Did you know that vampires are badly affected by crosses, and other significant religious icons?" Hal asked Alex.

"Aye. Tom has hung some by the front door, and I asked why. He said they didnae bother _you_ though. Why is that?"

"They affected me when I was younger. Only the Old Ones are immune, although there are other caveats." upon seeing Alex frown he explained "If you have some kind of attachment to the wearer of a cross, affection for example, you are immune to its power. When I heard that Rage resided in a monastery, I assumed at first that he had been captured by the monks. But the vampires had said that he left on occasion and returned willingly, so I then thought maybe he was once a monk himself, and he was still passing himself off as a human, coming into the city to feed. Of course it turned out that he was an Old One, but none of the vampires in the city were aware of this fact. That was something I found out later.

"I could not approach the monastery, I could barely even look at it, but it did not stop me becoming obsessed by it. I tried grabbing a monk on one occasion, but the... religious power, or whatever it was, protected him. He simply started quoting scripture at me and he got away easily. I became more and more frustrated. I was so close to discovering this secret, and yet I could not get near to him.

"I had been in the city for a couple of years, literally lording it over everyone, human and vampire, when finally Rage found me. He simply walked into the building, passing through the other vampires, and approached me."

"Were the others afraid of him?" asked Alex.

"He had a certain... presence... about him which commanded respect. Of course he received none from me.

"I stood to face him, expecting the worst, and was shocked when he bowed to me, then smiled and sat. He just looked at me, waiting for me to speak.

"It took a few seconds for me to recover myself, but I sat in the chair opposite and looked at him. Finally he spoke.


	6. Chapter 6

**A flashback sequence to the mid 1500s…. **

_"I have been informed that you are in control of this region, Lord Harry." Rage spoke in a soft accented voice. "I have lived here undiscovered for many years and I am here to ask if you would mind moving on, and take the vampires with you."_

It was clearly not meant as a request.

_"That is out of the question, sir." I replied, unsure of how to address him. "I came here to make your acquaintance. The others have simply stepped aside and allowed me to gain control. It seems they needed a leader and there was nobody willing to fulfil that role."_

_"You may call me Samuel." he smiled at me again, making me feel all the more confused. "I have no interest in ruling anyone, I wish only to be left to live in peace once more. Since your arrival, however, that has not been possible. Please, Lord Harry, move on from here, that is all that I ask."_

I was furious but somehow resisted the urge to show it. I had come all this way and spent all this time searching for him, and now he was telling me to go away.

_"I don't think you understand why I have come to this place." I said. "I have been searching for you, and now I have found you I am not going to simply leave. I believe there is much I can learn from you. The others have nothing left to give me, and I need more."_

_"What makes you think there is anything I can teach you, even if I were willing to do so?" Samuel asked._

_"The Old Ones speak of you with vile hatred, and the others whisper your name in fear. I only wish to know why?"_

_He laughed, a soft gentle sound rarely heard from my kind, and it sent a chill through me. "I have no interest in any of them, nor in you Lord Harry. I have managed my condition alone now for more than a thousand years, and believe me when I say that there is nothing I can tell you that will be of any interest to you." Samuel rose from his seat, and bowed respectfully again. "I must return now. You will not see me again. Please leave Constantinople, Lord Harry. Leave my people alone."_

_"And what if I decide not to let you leave?" I said to him, rising to my feet._

_He walked around the table and approached me, and I somehow resisted the urge to back away from him. He undid the rope tied across his shoulders and his cloak fell open to reveal a large cross hanging around his neck. I hissed in shock, and cringed away from him. I was amazed. Never in almost 50 years had I known a vampire to wear a cross. The Old Ones had no fear of them, and could even touch them, but to wear one would still require an enormous amount of strength. This confirmed that he was indeed one of the Old Ones, and a most powerful one._

_I backed away until I reached the wall behind me, and he closed his cloak tying the rope once more._

_"You cannot keep me here Lord Harry, and I certainly have no wish to stay. I am going back now. I expect you and the rest to clear out as soon as possible." and with that he started to walk away._

_I followed him out of the building, the other vampires looking at us but keeping away. When we got outside, I grabbed his shoulder and swung him around._

_"I do not give up so easily, Samuel." I spat the words at him, angry that I had shown weakness in front of him. "I will not leave Constantinople until I have what I want."_

_"And what is that?" he asked._

_"Power." I replied. "You have it, and I want it. There are vampires thousands of years old who fear and hate you, you are the one person in the world who Mr Snow tells us all to avoid. And I want to know why. What is it about _you_ that is so important?"_

_He shook his head and started to turn around again. I grabbed him once more and this time I did not let go. I held his collar tightly, so he could not release his cloak once more, and pulled his face towards mine holding his throat._

_"If you will not do this for me, Samuel, I will rip this city apart. The siege itself was nothing to the havoc I will wreak on these people. I will not stop until there is nothing left." I loosened my grip and backed away, slightly. "However, if you will share your secrets with me, I will tell the others to leave, and I will not allow anything else to happen in your precious city. Your people will be safe from the vampires."_

_Samuel looked at me, then back towards the building filled with vampires. Then he looked around at the people of the city, and he sighed._

_"If I teach you all I know, you will make them leave immediately?" he asked._

_"Yes."_

_"They have one day. Tell them to spread the word that Constantinople is mine, and no other vampire is welcome here. And tell them to say that you are dead." _

_"What? Why should they do that?" I asked._

_"Because once you know my secret, you might as well be dead. Mr Snow will not want this, especially for you. Besides, what I have to tell you will take many years to learn. Are you quite sure that this is what you want?"_

_"Yes, I'm sure. If you can teach me anything that will make me more powerful amongst the Old Ones, I am willing to learn."_

_Samuel laughed. "Very well. Once the vampires have left, come to the monastery. There is a gatehouse in the grounds which will be safe for you. I will take you there, and we will begin."_

_I watched him walk away, and I smiled. Finally I would learn his secret and when I returned to the Old Ones, and Mr Snow, I would no longer be their attack dog. We would be equals."_


	7. Chapter 7

Milo walked out of his office into the main part of the building, there were several vampires around the room, sitting, talking, drinking from bottles taken from the heated cabinet at the back of the room. Milo did not want humans brought to the factory, so he kept a supply of blood handy for those who required regular feeding. He looked at them in disgust. Vampires made him want to vomit, the smell of them, the idea of aligning himself with them. He tolerated this only to achieve his goal; to control the vast fortunes of the vampires.

He wandered over to the room where McNair was being kept and looked through the bars. He had been removed from the body bag and he lay on the floor, still unconscious, the body bag preserving his modesty. Milo remembered the boy he had fought a few weeks earlier. He was strong, but untrained; with Milo's instruction he could become an asset. Milo relished the thought of having an ally who was not a vampire.

"Sir," One of the vampires approached him, it was Lloyd. "You wanted us to find the wolfs' bag in the woods. It's been found."

"Did you put the information in it?" asked Milo.

"Yes, sir." came the reply. "but why did you want to leave details of our location in his bag?"

"His friends will find it, and I want them to know where he has been taken. He is our bait."

"Wouldn't it have been easier to send the information to the house." asked Lloyd.

"It would, but I don't want them realise that I know where they live. They may disappear. This way they don't feel that they have been compromised." Milo walked back into his office, with Lloyd behind him.

"Do you think it's a good idea that they will now know _our_ location?"

Milo sat behind his desk and looked up at Lloyd. "We are well defended, and they are not much of a threat."

"This is Lord Harry we are talking about. I don't think the threat could be much bigger." Lloyd responded, angrily. "I'm not entirely happy about him being able to walk in here at any time. You know his reputation."

"That is all in the past now. Hal is impotent. As soon as I have what I need from him, he will no longer be useful, and we can get rid of him. Then all of the Old Ones will be gone, and their legacy can be shared between us."

They looked at one another, each sensing mistrust in the other.

"Very well." said Lloyd. "We had better prepare for their arrival." and he left the office.

Milo stood and closed the door. He took a key chain from his belt and walked to a cabinet at the back of the office. He unlocked it and opened the bottom drawer. Inside was a metal chest with a strange locking device surrounding it. The chest was ancient. It was covered with strange symbols, and many scratches as though someone had tried to break it open. The lock had clearly been added recently because it was modern, but very unusual. There was nowhere to put a key, and no other visible means of unlocking it.

Milo looked closely at the locking device. It was created by a scientist who had been employed and then eaten by Mr Snow. Milo knew that it had been designed to open only when it was touched by the blood of an Old One. Mr Snow's blood flowed more potently through Hal than through any of the younger vampires. He was only Old One left, maybe the only vampire in the world who could open this chest. Milo hoped to persuade Hal to open it willingly, but he was prepared to use any means necessary to obtain what was required to gain access to whatever lay in this box.


End file.
